


The Sleepover

by tatooedlaura



Series: Life, Part 3 [6]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-09 00:37:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13469994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatooedlaura/pseuds/tatooedlaura
Summary: Who wouldn't want to have all the kids over ... the motley crew themselves ... armed with silly string ...





	The Sleepover

“Samuel?”

Sam looked up from the shopping cart, “yeah, Uncle Mudler?”

“They only have 12 cans of silly string.”

Sam, with the great seriousness of 10-year old wisdom, “that won’t be enough.”

“No?”

“Not if we are going to attack the girls in the middle of the night.”

“You’re right. We’ll need to find another party store.”

&&&&&&&&&&

“Uncle Mudler?”

Mulder looked up from the shopping cart which grew heavier by the second, “yeah, Sam?”

“For our waffle towers, should we get peanut butter to hold them up or do you think the stickiness of the syrup will keep them from falling down?”

Such serious questions required serious thought and after a moment of contemplation, “better get the peanut butter as backup. If the towers tip over, we won’t know who wins.”

Sam added the industrial jar to the car.

&&&&&&&&&&

“Sam?”

“Yeah, Uncle Mudler?”

Studying the tubs of ice cream through the frosty glass doors, “what’s your opinion on Neapolitan?”

“The only good part is the chocolate.”

Pulling the freezing open, Mulder fished out two tubs or three gallons total of ice cream, one chocolate, the other fudge swirl, “I agree.”

“Will that be enough?”

“Samuel, if I bring 4.5 gallons of ice cream home to your Aunt Dana without a perfectly good explanation, she’d liable to have me committed.”

Sam, eyeing the mint chocolate chip, “what if I bought it home though?”

Mulder let out a surprisingly loud chuckle and ruffled his hair, “grab it and let’s get out of here before you have me buying the entire candy aisle.”

“Aunt Dana does like M&Ms.”

“Don’t I know it, young man.”

&&&&&&&&&

“Uncle Mudler?”

“Yeah, Sam?”

“Do you mind that my name is the same at your sister’s?”

Luckily Mulder was at a red light at the time of asking or they’d have probably ended up wrapped around a parking meter, “what?”

“Dad said your sister’s name was Samantha but that you called her Sam and I know she died and I wondered if you minded that I have the same name as her?”

He was sitting there, so innocently perfect that Mulder, waiting until the light turned green and they were driving to answer, “I have always liked the name Sam and always will and I love that you are just as much fun as she used to be and you are just as smart and hanging out with you makes me miss her less so no, I don’t mind at all that your name is Sam. In fact, Sam is one of my favorite names and you are one of my favorite kids.”

Sam, beginning to wonder if he should have kept his mouth shut, breathed a sigh of relief, “dad said I shouldn’t ask but I told him you wouldn’t be mad about it.”

Just as they were about to pull into the parking lot of their apartment, Mulder nudged Sam’s arm, “you can always ask me anything, okay?”

“Can I even ask you why you believe in aliens?”

“Sure.”

“Okay.”

The silence hung after Mulder parked the car and turned the key and waiting a long 30 seconds, “did you want to ask?”

“No. I just wanted to know if I could ask.”

He truly loved this lanky kid with the crooked smile and the tanned skin and the signature freckles, “remember to tell your aunt that the third ice cream was all you.”

&&&&&&&&&&&

“Sam?”

Standing beside his Uncle Mudler while Aunt Dana gave the taller man the death stare, “yeah?”

“Pretty please, will you tell your aunt that you wanted the mint chocolate chip because I think I’m about to be carted off in a strait jacket.”

“I don’t even like mint chocolate chip, Uncle Mudler.”

Scully smiled, Mulder lunged and Sam slipped out of his grasp, giggling as he fled to the living room. About to give chase, Scully snagged his sleeve, “hold it there, buddy.” When he stopped, giving her a goofy grin, she simply shook her head, “18 cans of silly string. I can never send either of you shopping ever again.”

Kissing her cheek, “what’s next, boss?”

&&&&&&&&&&&

Honest-to-Scully’s-God, they all sat up giggling and playing games and eating until after midnight, when one by one, from youngest on up, they began nodding off, dropping dice, slurring sentences, missing words, until the sofa bed was full, the futon chair was full and the spare bed was full, boys in the living room, girls in the spare, Mulder and Scully leaning heavily on the hallway wall, listening for signs of mischief and mayhem but hearing only light snores and creaking springs. Glancing down at his petite partner in sugary crimes against children, “so, do you already feel two or three cavities starting?”

“Minimum.” Giving him a grin, “did we really eat all that ice cream?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“How are they asleep?”

Taking Scully’s hand and pulling her into the bedroom, “don’t ask, just accept.”

Sooner than later, Scully was dead to the world, eyelids fluttering and feet twitching as they tended to do when she was sailing her remaining sugar high while asleep. Mulder, on the other hand, was just starting to drift off when he felt a hand on his arm, medium-sized fingers shaking his bicep, “Uncle Mudler?”

He woke with a start, remembering at the last possible moment that there were kids in the house and his gun was locked on the top shelf in the closet, “what? What? Are you okay? Are you sick?”

Sam looked at him, “we’re supposed to wake up the girls with the silly string in the middle of the night.”

Wanted to laugh, he held it to a smile, “how about I wake you up at 7am and we’ll wake the rest of the them with the string?”

“Will you set your alarm?”

Already twisting his watch to find the proper glowing button, “yes, I will set it right now and you should set yours just in case, okay?”

“Awesome.”

Things did not work out quite as planned however, given both Uncle Mudler and Aunt Dana were awoken instantly and completely by seven children jumping on the bed with silly string flying.

Sam declared victory at having fooled his uncle and Mulder, being the honestly good sport he was, congratulated him on the surprise but tempered him with a grin and the threat of imminent retaliation.

Sam told him to bring it.

&&&&&&&

Waffle towers were a rousing success, Toby winning when Jake ‘accidently’ and surprisingly surreptitiously knocked over Matt’s tower. Scully, the only one who witnessed the deception, kept her mouth shut, pretty sure that Toby never won anything against the big kids and even though he seemed perfectly fine with it, Scully was all for the gloating rights he’d have the rest of the day with his towering cousins. Dropping a secret kiss to the top of Jake’s head as he walked by after, she moved him along to go brush his teeth with a quiet ‘thank you’ and a grin.

Jake knew what was up and thumbs-upped her back.

&&&&&&&&

Later on, after piling in two cars and heading down to the Air and Space Museum for back to back planetarium and Imax shows, the entire troop of them collapsed on the Mall lawn with popsicles, “Uncle Mudler?”

“Yeah, Graham?”

“When can we do this again?”

Grinning to the cloudless sky from his prone position, “well, it’s up to Uncle Skimmer and your Aunt Dana but I’m good whenever.”

“Why Uncle Skimmer?”

“Because he’s the one who assigns us cases and if he tells us to go somewhere, we gotta go.”

“Then we should have Betsy ask him to make sure he doesn’t give you cases on the weekends.”

Scully, from her spot on the other side of the crowd, “why Betsy?”

“’Cause she can get Uncle Skimmer to do anything she wants and if she asks, you’ll never have to work a weekend again.”

Knowing this to be completely true, she shook her head in amusement, “how about we ask your parents if we can do it again in a few weeks and then I’ll let Uncle Skimmer know?”

“Can you get him to do anything you want, too?”

Mulder, contributing with now shut eyes, grinning at the heavens, “she sure can and I love it.”

“Jake?”

Sitting beside Mulder, “yeah, Aunt Dana?”

“Can you give Uncle Mudler the lightest of smacks on the arm for me, please? Tell him it’s from Scully, with love.”

“I can’t, Aunt Dana.”

“Why?”

“He buys the silly string.”

“Jesus Mary and Joseph.”


End file.
